


The Most Obvious Secret (Ever)

by airedis



Category: VIXX
Genre: M/M, there was more neo in this than i planned for oops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-26
Updated: 2014-04-26
Packaged: 2018-01-20 22:03:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1527308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/airedis/pseuds/airedis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one knew that Hongbin and Jaehwan were dating - except for everyone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by this gifset: http://vixx-otps.tumblr.com/post/70704498680
> 
> this was my entry for the forvixx valentine's fic exchange  
> (originally posted here: http://forvixx.livejournal.com/3978.html)

The sun was shining brightly and it was surprisingly warm for a late August day. Hongbin adjusted his grip on his camera and focused it across the street where Jaehwan was waving wildly at him. When the light turned, Hongbin made his way across the street, stopping in front of the other boy and asked, "where are we going?"  
  
Jaehwan turned to look directly into the camera and his voice turned high and nasally as he cutely replied, "to take Hongbinnie to see the fountain."  
  
School had just started two weeks ago and Hongbin was beginning his first semester in college, completely new to the town that Jaehwan had already had a year to explore. He'd been nervous, coming into a big, new school in a big, new town, feeling like a tiny boy being shoved into adulthood. But it helped having a familiar, friendly face beside him who could hold his hand every step of the way.  
  
Hongbin stuck close to Jaehwan as they walked, camera diligently out in front of him as they sidestepped clusters of students; he tried to take everything in, to remember it even though there was so much. Jaehwan kept a rolling monologue going throughout the walk, telling interesting little facts or anecdotes about the places they walked past, until finally they reached the fountain. He hadn't told Hongbin anything about the fountain and Hongbin was excited to see that it wasn't really a fountain at all - at least not like one he'd ever seen before. There were at least half a dozen jets of water shooting out of the ground and bubbling over the stone tiles and Hongbin suddenly wished he'd had the foresight to bring his other camera.  
  
Jaehwan pulled him off to the side where there were stone benches and together they sat and watched the water jets and the children that were darting in between them. Hongbin shut off the video camera and set it down on his lap and thought about how nice it would be if he and Jaehwan were the only ones there. If it was only them two and the fountain, and they could be the ones running through the water, chasing after each other and drinking in smiles and sunshine. As Jaehwan began to hum softly, Hongbin leaned against his shoulder, closed his eyes, and thought about the summer.  
  
-  
  
They'd met when Hongbin was just a sophomore in high school and Jaehwan had gone up on stage during a festival and sang. After he'd heard Jaehwan, Hongbin couldn't stop talking about it and, through a stroke of luck, one of his friends had actually known Jaehwan. Hongbin had been shy and awkward (and he still was) but Jaehwan had been so bright and energetic that it took no time at all for them to become almost inseparable. As they'd walked home one day they'd even realized that their houses were only a ten minute walk apart and that had made late night visits of boredom a fairly common occurrence from then on. And then Hongbin had found their time being cut all too short because Jaehwan was a year older than him and, as a junior, he'd be graduating after next year.  
  
They'd spent as many as hours as they could together, meeting after school and staying at each other's houses on the weekends and, during Jaehwan’s last year, they had begun making little videos together. It had started as a joke, doing reviews of shows and games and talking about what was going on in their lives. And somehow along the way Jaehwan had become his best friend. He'd cried the night Jaehwan had graduated, embarrassed and lonely, hid up in the tree in Jaehwan's backyard during the celebration party, but Jaehwan had climbed up there with him and patted his back until the hiccups stopped.  
  
Jaehwan had always known what was wrong with him and he'd assured Hongbin that a little thing like school wouldn't tear their friendship apart and, armed with those words, Hongbin had been determined to make it true. They were almost like each other's shadows that summer before Jaehwan went off to college and their parents had just accepted the fact that either there were two of them or there was neither. Hongbin would never forget the endless hours that they'd spent together doing nothing and everything and soaking in each other's presence.  
  
It had happened two days before Jaehwan had to leave to move into the dorms. They had been thrown across Hongbin's bed with Jaehwan's shiny, new laptop in front of them and they were watching random videos when Jaehwan had leaned against Hongbin. That in itself had been nothing new - they were often close to each other and Jaehwan was prone to bouts of touchiness. So Hongbin had thought nothing of it until Jaehwan had begun running his fingers over the back of Hongbin's hand.  
  
Hongbin knew that he only did that when he was nervous so he had turned to the older boy and asked, "what's going on?" Jaehwan had just hummed and pressed his head against Hongbin's hair but several minutes later Jaehwan had still been rubbing his fingers over Hongbin's hand and Hongbin had thought that if Jaehwan continued then the skin was going to rub right off. He had paused the video they'd been on and turned to fully face Jaehwan.  
  
"Tell me what's going on," Hongbin had demanded lightly. Jaehwan was leaving soon and Hongbin hadn't been about to send his best friend off with some unknown worry plaguing him.  
  
Jaehwan, never one to beat around the bush, had looked Hongbin in the eyes and said, "I'm afraid of what's going to happen when I go off to school and you're here."  
  
Hongbin had looked at him confused, not understanding and asked, "what do you mean?"  
  
Jaehwan's ears had colored slightly and he'd looked away, mumbling, "I'm afraid of losing you."  
  
At that, Hongbin's worries had slipped away and he'd hit Jaehwan's shoulder lightly. "We've been over this," he'd said, thinking back to what Jaehwan had told him up in the tree.  
  
Jaehwan's ears had been red by that point but he had looked back at Hongbin and said, "I'm afraid of losing you to someone else."  
  
"Oh," Hongbin had said because he couldn't say anything else due to his brain having shut down. There were so many different things that could have meant and Hongbin hadn't wanted to leap to any conclusions and embarrass himself. Luckily, as he could trust the older boy to do, Jaehwan had taken the lead and continued.  
  
"I - you're my best friend, right?" He asked hesitantly. Hongbin had nodded, staring at the wall just past Jaehwan's head. "And I care about you. A lot."  
  
Hongbin had kept his eyes averted and stayed silent. His heart had been pounding in desperation and he hadn't been sure what Jaehwan was going to do. He had seen Jaehwan sitting stock still out of the corner of his eye but he couldn't do anything until he understood what Jaehwan meant.  
  
"Hongbinnie," Jaehwan's voice had wavered. "Can you look at me?"  
  
Jaehwan had sounded scared. Jaehwan never sounded scared when he talked to Hongbin and the fear in his voice was what had gotten Hongbin to take a deep breath and turn his eyes to Jaehwan. Although his expression had been serious, he looked just as scared as he sounded and Hongbin had decided that Jaehwan must have been more scared than he himself was. So he'd taken Jaehwan's hand in his and gave him a shaky smile, facing Jaehwan and staring into his eyes. Jaehwan gave his hand a little squeeze before he started again.  
  
"I don't want things to change or get weird between us," Jaehwan had said and Hongbin had wanted to avert his eyes but he'd known it was important to keep looking at Jaehwan. "But even more than that I don't want to lose you."  
  
Hongbin had opened his mouth to say something, to tell Jaehwan he'd never lose him, no matter what, but Jaehwan had squeezed his hand shakily again and kept going.  
  
"And I know this is dumb because maybe what I'm about to say will make you leave me anyway," he had taken a shaky breath. "But I can't go off and leave you here without letting you know."  
  
Hongbin's heart had felt like a hummingbird's, beating rapidly in his chest like it was trying to burrow into his ribcage. He'd felt like he'd needed to cage it in, keep it in his chest, and his hand had jerked, the one he had laced with Jaehwan's. Jaehwan's hand had tensed like he was going to try to keep it there but he hadn't pulled Hongbin's hand back, just clutched desperately at the hem of his shorts instead. Hongbin had pressed a steadying hand against his heart, still staring at Jaehwan, and nodded his head for Jaehwan to keep going.

"Hongbin," Jaehwan said, and for the first time since the beginning of the exchange he had looked away. "I like you."  
  
Hongbin had felt like he'd swallowed his tongue. His eyes had been wide as he'd stared at Jaehwan's face in desperation and Jaehwan had looked back up at him. He had seemed to steel himself before be said, "Hongbin, will you be my boyfriend?"  
  
Hongbin had sat frozen, staring at his best friend and the boy he'd fallen hopelessly in like with since they'd met almost two years before. He'd never imagined that Jaehwan would have liked him back, that Jaehwan, funny and popular and handsome Jaehwan, would like a stringy, awkward boy like him. He'd let himself wish, not hope, that someday Jaehwan would see him like Hongbin saw Jaehwan but to have been sitting across from Jaehwan like this had been something out of his wildest dreams.  
  
Shocked, Hongbin had been unable to react and Jaehwan had taken his silence as rejection.  
  
"It's okay forget I said anything, just,"  
  
 _Don't leave me_ , Hongbin had wanted to fill in. But then Jaehwan had turned back to the computer like he had resolved to act like nothing had happened. Hongbin's hand had shot out, almost as if on instinct, and his fingers latched around Jaehwan's wrist.  
  
"No, I -" Hongbin hadn't known how to do this kind of thing.  
  
"I want to," he had stuttered. "Jaehwan I want to."  
  
A look of realization had slowly passed over Jaehwan's face and then he'd broken out into the most wonderful smile Hongbin had ever seen on him. Hongbin had smiled back widely at him and felt like he was floating away. But then Jaehwan had grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, grounding him safely like he always did, and laughed breathlessly against Hongbin's neck. Hongbin had wrapped his arms around Jaehwan and squeezed tight, trying to push himself as close as possible to let Jaehwan know he meant it.  
  
The rest of their time together had felt almost suspiciously normal. Despite everything, they were still best friends and if they had happened to hold hands a little more often than before it had been with shy grins and confident fingers. Hongbin had held Jaehwan for almost fifteen minutes the day he'd left and Jaehwan had leaned his forehead against Hongbin's and said, "I'll miss you." School had been lonely without Jaehwan by his side but Jaehwan came home at least once a month and every time was like no time had passed between them at all.  
  
-  
  
Meeting Jaehwan's friends had been interesting to say the least. He'd asked Jaehwan to keep them dating a secret, not because he was ashamed but because, even though Jaehwan's friends were nice, he didn't know how they would react. First he met Hakyeon, who had been an RA in previous years and was used to greeting new students, had become immediately friendly, slinging and arm around Hongbin's shoulder and explaining all the noteworthy things happening on and around campus. His personality had been as bright as his red hair and even though it was a little overwhelming, Hongbin was thankful that Hakyeon had taken the initiative to watch over Jaehwan (and himself). Taekwoon on the other hand had scared the living daylights out of him. In retrospect, Hongbin figured it wasn't his fault but that hadn't stopped his heart from pounding in the moment. Jaehwan had taken Hongbin to one of the small coffee shops on campus and told him they were going to meet a friend. Hongbin, who had only really met Hakyeon, had figured they were meeting him and had settled back in his chair to wait while Jaehwan ordered.  
  
Hongbin had been playing on his phone when someone abruptly sat down in the chair next to him. Startled, Hongbin had looked up and locked eyes with a silent, unblinking man who was a lot closer than Hongbin had expected. He'd jumped a little and then the man, Takewoon, had looked a little distressed. Jaehwan came back to the table before Hongbin had had to scramble to find something to say and had introduced them; Taekwoon's soft smile had cleared everything up quickly but Hongbin had still been a little jumpy around him for a week.  
  
Adjusting to life in university was a little difficult (Hongbin's classes were long and his roommate, Wonsik, seemed to have a difficult time keeping his mess to his own half of the room) but adjusting to life with Jaehwan back by his side was like slipping into his favorite pair of shoes. But Hongbin liked it; Jaehwan's friends were nice and, despite the fact that Hongbin was a neat freak and Wonsik clearly was not, they became fast friends. Not to mention, it was exciting to be able to make videos with Jaehwan whenever they wanted again.  
When they'd first gotten started, they'd done silly little vlogs: movie reviews and sporadic life updates about what trivial things were happening at school. It was when they started having to post separate videos that they gained more subscribers. Hongbin chalked up their view count to Jaehwan's song covers but Jaehwan argued that Hongbin's videos got just as many views as his did. Somehow, especially after Hakyeon, Taekwoon, and Wonsik started occasionally showing up in their videos, their viewers had started to describe their channel as the "one with the cute boys".  
  
Hongbin thought he might have their ridiculous videos to thank for making the distance seem a lot shorter. After Jaehwan had left for university, he'd started uploading vocal covers of songs every once in a while. Hongbin had been glad to see him singing and, judging from the response, so had everyone else. Every once in a while Hongbin had recorded an acoustic guitar track for Jaehwan to sing with and, on the ever rarer times that they had recorded when Jaehwan came home, Hongbin had played while Jaehwan sang.  
  
Hongbin though, had gotten a little more personal on the channel. He'd had a few videos where he would play guitar or softly sing along, but mostly he had just talked. He'd talked about being the youngest in his family, being awkward and in high school, and how to deal with injuries that stop you from playing sports. The hardest video he'd ever made had been one where he'd talked about what it felt like to be away from someone you really care about. Jaehwan had been away at school for almost three months since his last visit and seeing each other' videos and talking on the phone hadn't been enough to fill in the gap that Jaehwan had left behind.  
  
Hongbin honestly hadn't thought that Jaehwan watched his videos. He obviously watched Jaehwan's, but Jaehwan was busy in school and Hongbin hadn't thought that he would have any time or reason to watch Hongbin's own videos. He had found out that that wasn't the case when he'd posted his video about how to deal with being away from someone you care about. It had been his most emotional video and he'd had a hard time getting some of the words out even though he'd thought that no one would really watch it. He'd uploaded it some time around midnight and not half an hour later, just before he'd been about to go to sleep, Jaehwan had called him.  
  
Jaehwan hadn't said anything about the video, he'd just sang to Hongbin until his voice got thick and he choked out a little, "I miss you, Binnie" into the phone. Hongbin had broken into a smile and had tried his hardest to hold back his tears because he hadn't heard Jaehwan sing in so long and, even through the phone, his voice was the best thing Hongbin had ever heard. "I miss you too," he'd said with his fingers buried deep in his blanket. They'd spent three hours on the phone before Jaehwan singing softly to him again had lulled him to sleep after a hushed "good night". Hongbin had woken up late the next morning and had almost failed his English test because he hadn't gotten enough sleep but having heard Jaehwan's voice had been worth it. He had later found out that since Jaehwan had lived in a suite with three other roommates, he'd spent those three hours out in the cold just to talk to Hongbin.  
  
Two weeks later Jaehwan came home again on a surprise visit (or at least to Hongbin it was a surprise). Hongbin had been at his desk on the computer when his door had opened and arms had enveloped him from behind. He'd turned his head to look at who it was and had immediately thrown himself around to wrap his arms around Jaehwan's neck. It had been so long since they'd seen each other that Hongbin had thought he was dreaming as he deeply breathed in the smell of Jaehwan.  
  
"You cut your hair," Jaehwan had said after they'd released each other and he'd gotten a real look at Hongbin. Hongbin's long, curly hair had been cut short and fell just above his ears. Jaehwan's hand had immediately gone up to pinch a lock between his fingers.  
"Does it look okay?" Hongbin had asked, insecurity seeping into him out of nowhere.  
  
"It looks super okay," Jaehwan had smiled and the he'd leaned in and kissed Hongbin. Hongbin hadn't been able to help it, he'd kissed back and smiled hard against Jaehwan's lips and they'd broken out into giddy laughter. Hongbin had wrapped his arms around Jaehwan again and leaned into him, had collapsed into him and held him close with a smile still burning on his lips. He hadn't been able to remember the last time he'd been that happy.  
  
Jaehwan had tucked his head in close next to Hongbin's and his voice had been soft and rough when he'd whispered, "I love you."  
  
Hongbin had felt frozen and inhaled shakily, but his arms had tightened around Jaehwan and he'd he said, "I love you too" in a quivering voice. He'd felt more than heard Jaehwan release his breath and Hongbin hadn't been able to help the excited giggle that left him. Jaehwan had told him later that night that he'd been wanting to say that ever since he'd seen Hongbin's video but that he'd been waiting to say it in person. Hongbin had leaned into Jaehwan's side, kissed his neck, and had said, "I'm glad you waited." He hadn't been able to imagine how he could possibly get any happier.  
  
  
  
-  
  
  
  
When Hakyeon had suggested that they all get together to watch a movie, Taekwoon had known that would mean that he would end up playing host while Hakyeon socialized and talked about doing things while he didn't actually get anything done. He opened the door of his and Hakyeon's apartment to the smiling trio of Jaehwan, Hongbin, and Wonsik and ushered them inside with a soft hello. Hongbin was still a little jumpy around him but Wonsik let himself in with a heavy, amiable hand on Taekwoon's back and a wide smile. Jaehwan, the only one of the three who was familiar with their apartment, took a cursory glance around the room before he walked down the hall.  
  
"Where's Hakyeon?" he asked as he made his way back into the living room.  
  
"Out getting the movie," Taekwoon replied as he waved Hongbin and Wonsik over to the couch.  
  
"He didn't get it yet? Geeze..."  
  
Taekwoon settled himself in the armchair and left the other three to arrange themselves on the couch. Truthfully, he wasn't so good with talking to people he wasn't that familiar with, so he sat back and listened to the others embarking on a strange and boisterous conversation that was somewhere in between a game of "would you rather" and a discussion of what would be the most embarrassing way to die. Some ten minutes later when Hakyeon arrived with the movie, Jaehwan was doing a series of imitations as Hongbin and Wonsik fell off the couch in laughter. Hakyeon looked at Taekwoon with a raised eyebrow but Taekwoon just shrugged (if Hakyeon had come back two minutes earlier he would have seen Wonsik and Taekwoon engaged in a ridiculous competition to see who could do a better Donald Duck impression).  
  
Once they'd all rearranged themselves around the television, Hakyeon switched off the lights ("for ambiance" he'd said with a flippant gesture) and the movie started; it was some zombie movie parody and had them all laughing right off the bat. Hakyeon had booted Taekwoon out of the armchair and he was squashed on the couch in between Hakyeon and Jaehwan as Wonsik reclined lazily in the chair. Taekwoon sunk down further against the cushions as Hakyeon threw an arm around his shoulders and fell against him laughing. Taekwoon snuck a glance around the room and saw that Jaehwan and Hongbin were in a similar state and Wonsik was, once again, almost falling out of his chair.  
  
It was about half way through the movie that Taekwoon got up to get something to drink. As he stood up from the couch he was assaulted by a rush of cold air and he realized, especially in the middle of a warm fall, how warm it was with everyone pressed so close together on the couch. He pulled his shirt down over his hands and made his way into the kitchen, gulping down a glass of water before turning to walk back into the living room. He stopped in the doorway as he found  that Hakyeon had laid himself out over Taekwoon's vacant space. Taekwoon scowled lightly as he realized that Hakyeon was probably nice and cozy in his spot while Taekwoon was in the kitchen nearly shivering now.  
  
Then he spotted Hongbin and Jaehwan huddled up against the arm of the couch, looking like they were a lot closer than they needed to be. Taekwoon was about to shrug it off and go reclaim his spot when Jaehwan rested his head against Hongbin's shoulder, face tilted up so that he could whisper in Hongbin's ear. Hongbin lightly hit at Jaehwan's leg and their smiles looked too secretive, too affectionate for Taekwoon to let it go. His mind was caught up in deciphering the way Jaehwan playfully nipped at Hongbin's shoulder and the way that Hongbin covered his face to hide his laughter.  
  
Taekwoon knew that the two of them had gone to high school together, had known each other before Jaehwan had even met him and Hakyeon the year before, and even though they were always by each other's side, in the month since he'd met Hongbin, Taekwoon had never seen them quite like this before. It was when Hongbin buried his nose in Jaehwan's hair, his eyes closed and his whole face brightened in happiness, that Taekwoon realized that they might be more than friends.  
  
"Taekwoon," Hakyeon whined from his spot on the couch, drawing all attention to Taekwoon who was still in the doorway of the kitchen. "Come sit down."  
  
Taekwoon walked over to the couch and stood in front of Hakyeon so that he blocked Hakyeon's view of the television. Hakyeon looked up at Taekwoon with a lively expression even as Taekwoon raised his eyebrow at him.  
  
"What's wrong?" Hakyeon asked with a smile that told Taekwoon he knew exactly what was wrong.  
  
"Move."  
  
"Aw, come on Taekwoonie," Hakyeon said, his eyes big and "innocent".  
  
"If Hakyeon doesn't move you're gonna have to sit on someone's lap," Wonsik said with a bark of laughter, laughing even harder when Taekwoon looked at him sternly.  
  
"Make room, make room," Jaehwan chanted as he tugged at Hongbin, almost bringing the other boy into his lap. Hongbin let out a strangled choking sound as his face went red and he started laughing and pushing at Jaehwan. Taekwoon was about to throw Hakyeon off the couch when the older boy tugged him down. He was still spread across Taekwoon's spot but he pulled Taekwoon back to lean against him and wrapped his arms around Taekwoon's middle. When Taekwoon glowered down at him, Hakyeon shook him side to side a little and Taekwoon's hard look broke into a tiny smile.  
  
After everyone had refocused their attention on the movie, Taekwoon let himself fall back into the warm camaraderie of the air around him. But he couldn't help but glance once more at Jaehwan and Hongbin who were falling over each other in laughter, their hands clutched tightly together.  
  
  
  
-  
  
  
  
"Where are we going today?" Hongbin asked, head pressed closely next to Jaehwan's.  
  
"To the amusement park!"  
  
Hakyeon had decided that since Sanghyuk had come down to visit for the weekend that it meant that they all needed to do something fun together. Apparently no one else had a say in this decision either. Sanghyuk looked up at Taekwoon in the driver's seat as said boy steadily ignored the incessant chatter and incorrect directions of Sanghyuk's loudmouthed cousin. Hakyeon hit Taekwoon's arm lightly and the other boy scowled at him. Sanghyuk was crammed in the backseat of the truck along with three other boys, smashed in between Hongbin and Wonsik.  
  
He'd arrived the night before and they'd set off earlier that morning to spend the ridiculously-warm-for-October weather outside. They'd been in the car for only about an hour but Wonsik had fallen asleep fifteen minutes in and was nearly drooling on Sanghyuk's shoulder. Sanghyuk knew they were close but he hoped they'd get there fast because he was starting to lose the feeling in his left arm from being packed so tightly in the backseat.  
  
Soon, though not soon enough for Sanghyuk, they were inside the park and immediately everyone was shouting out different places that they wanted to go. They ended up going for a roller coaster first, convincing Hakyeon that if he just went on the one with them then they wouldn't try and bring him on any more.  
  
"Why did you want to go to an amusement park if you don't like heights?" Wonsik asked, clearly puzzled.  
  
"I know Hyukkie likes them," Hakyeon replied shakily. He wasn't looking at any of them, eyes instead following the cars as they looped around the ride.  
  
Hongbin bumped against Sanghyuk's shoulder genially and smiled at him. Sanghyuk had felt a little weird after arriving; he was by far the youngest of Hakyeon's friends, still being only in high school, but Hongbin was closest to him in age and right off the bat he'd made Sanghyuk feel welcome. (Hakyeon of course had tried too, but there was only so much hugging and cooing that Sanghyuk could take before he started ducking away from Hakyeon's grabbing fingers.) He'd known Taekwoon already since Hakyeon had been friends with him for so long and even though he knew the older boy wasn't as cold as he appeared it was still a little difficult to connect with him sometimes.  
So today, Sanghyuk decided, he would stick to Hongbin. It seemed he wasn't the only one with that idea though, because even as soon as they had entered the park, Jaehwan had grabbed Hongbin's hand and played like a child, and even now he was trying to drape himself over Hongbin's back.  
  
"You like roller coasters?" Hongbin had asked, dimpling.  
  
Sanghyuk nodded. "I like fast things." Beside him he heard Hakyeon groan and the line moved forward.  
  
When it was their turn they each filed in, two to a car, and pulled down the bars. Sanghyuk turned around to grin at Hakyeon but the other boy had his head buried in his arms on top of the bar. Taekwoon patted his shoulder and gave Sanghyuk a small smile. When he turned back around, Hongbin and Wonsik were waving back at him and Jaehwan excitedly, and Jaehwan blew them a ridiculous kiss before the cars started moving and they all clutched at the bars at they slowly made their way up an incline.  
  
-  
  
Hakyeon was shaking harder by the time they got off the ride and found a bench. Taekwoon was supportively rubbing his shoulders and Jaehwan and Wonsik were taking turns telling him terrible jokes to get his mind off of it. Once he had recovered, they all made their way over to a food stall and bought Dippin Dots. Hongbin and Jaehwan had their camera out again, filming each of them in turn as they walked over to the bumper cars. It seemed that even in the middle of October people flocked to the park because they had to wait in yet another line.  
  
Sanghyuk leaned against the railing and watched Jaehwan film the others and waved his hands enthusiastically when the camera turned on him. There was something slightly puzzling about Jaehwan and Hongbin's interaction and Sanghyuk watched in silence trying to figure out what it was. All morning they had been attached at the hip, laughing and joking and filming whatever it was that they filmed. He liked them both well enough but nearly an hour and a half in the car with them telling inside jokes and hanging all over each other had nearly made him want to rip all his hair out.  
  
He realized what it was when Hongbin reached forward to feed Jaehwan some of his ice cream. That in itself shouldn't have been enough to trigger the idea but it was the way that Jaehwan smiled behind the camera, the way Hongbin's eyes crinkled when he smiled back. Then he began recalling the way that Hongbin had comfortably settled himself against Jaehwan's back and how the two of them walked much more closely together than with anyone else. He remembered seeing the two of them together before they'd piled into Taekwoon's truck, pressed close together and whispering secrets into each others' ears, remembered thinking that Jaehwan's lips looked like they'd gotten dangerously close to Hongbin's cheek when he'd pulled back before he'd dismissed the idea. Sanghyuk looked around and spotted Taekwoon leaning against the railing a few feet up. He casually made his way over to the older boy and leaned back next to him, hands stuffed in his pockets and eyes still on Jaehwan and Hongbin.  
  
"Um..." Sanghyuk was never quite sure how to get Taekwoon's attention.  
  
Taekwoon looked over at him and although he didn't speak, Sanghyuk saw the questioning look on his face and continued.  
  
"Are Hongbin and Jaehwan, you know," Sanghyuk waved a hand around for a moment and then figured straightforward was the best way to go. "Together?"  
  
Taekwoon stared at him impassively for a moment before he lifted an eyebrow. "I mean," he glanced around to see if anyone was listening. "Are they dating?"  
  
He figured he was probably just over thinking things but Taekwoon shrugged and said, "probably."  
  
Sanghyuk blinked in surprise. "Oh," he said. "Um...since when?"  
  
Taekwoon tilted his head, shoulders still hunched up. "A couple months ago, maybe."  
  
His eyes darted over to the where they were hanging out over the railing and into the sunshine. "Binnie and I are a set," they heard Jaehwan say with a hand holding Hongbin close. "We're always together." Taekwoon turned to face Sanghyuk with a look in his eyes that said  _does that answer your question?_  Sanghyuk made a little "hmm" noise and turned around to watch the bumper cars.  
  
(Needless to say, Taekwoon destroyed them all when it was finally their turn.)  
  
 -  
  
It was already turning dark by the time they all clambered lazily back into the truck but Jaehwan and Hakyeon were still running on full speed. Up in the front, Taekwoon clapped a hand over Hakyeon's mouth before they even pulled out of the parking lots so the other boy just turned on the radio and settled back in his seat. Jaehwan squeezed himself into the "seat" between Hongbin and Wonsik, all of them sitting as closely together as possible as Sanghyuk scooted into the place next to Hongbin and the window. Wonsik passed out against the window on his side almost immediately and Hongbin pulled out the camera and passed it to Jaehwan.  
  
Jaehwan switched it on and began asking, "what should we do?" He turned the camera on Hongbin who is looking out the front window and said, "Ah, Hongbin is so handsome." Hongbin brought his hand down from where it was fixing his hair and used it to cover his embarrassed smile. Jaehwan's laugh filled the car and he turned to Wonsik and began to zoom in on his sleeping face. He narrated the whole thing in hushed tones like it was some wild animal documentary, turning the camera this way and that way to get all angles of his open mouth and slack-faced expression amidst the quiet lull of the radio.  
  
When Hongbin's repressed giggles were threatening to overtake him and his hand was tugging at Jaehwan's arm, Jaehwan turned away from the oblivious Wonsik and said, "what should I do?" He made a face and looked at Hongbin with his eyes wide and his lips pursed. Hongbin put on a thoughtful expression and then started to tell a story about how he and Jaehwan had seen a girl drop her wallet. Jaehwan zoned out a little, watching the headlights from the front window, and thought about Hongbin's warmth next to him. He wished that they weren't going back to the dorms so that he could pull Hongbin into his bed and hold him until they both fell asleep. They'd done that before - even back when they had just found out they lived near each other - and Jaehwan thought a cuddle session was long overdue.  
  
He cut in on the monologue, imitating the rude way the girl had spoken to them and then laughed as Hongbin wrapped up the story. He remembered how well they'd eaten that night and high fived Hongbin, their fingers lacing together. Both their smiles were bright and Jaehwan brought their hands down together before they separated. He wanted to keep Hongbin's hand in his and he'd almost forgotten that, although Wonsik was knocked out, Sanghyuk was still awake, no matter how dazed he seemed looking out the window. But Hongbin would have been too uneasy, so he let their fingers slip apart and leaned his head against Hongbin's shoulder instead.  
  
He turned the camera off after that and laid it on his lap. Jaehwan wanted to nose into Hongbin's neck but he knew that he couldn't. He set out drumming a rhythm against Hongbin's knee and blew a puff of air at his jaw and when Hongbin turned to look at him, his nose bumped against the top of Jaehwan's head. Maybe it was because they were tired or maybe it was because everything was so quiet, but they broke out into muffled laughter. Sanghyuk roused from his trance at the window and glanced at them but turned back the window and closed his eyes. Hongbin tapped Jaehwan's hand and motioned for him to sit up. Almost immediately after he'd done so, Hongbin cupped his hands and began whispering to him, mouth close to Jaehwan's ear. He wasn't saying anything of much importance, just a funny story he'd read, but their closeness and the near silence of the car made the moment feel more intimate.


	2. Chapter 2

The semester had flown by in a blur and even winter break was coming to a close, so Hakyeon decided to call everyone over to his house for one last hurrah before school started. Luckily, no one lived too far away and since Hakyeon was offering them free lodging at his house there hadn't been too much objection to the idea. Sanghyuk was staying with Hakyeon's family for the time being so even he got to take part in what was essentially a sleepover.  
  
"It's not a sleepover," Hakyeon argued, readjusting the cap on his head. Taekwoon just stared at him impassively until Hakyeon said, "okay it's a sleepover. Now let's go."  
  
Through a muddled series of back and forth calls, texts, and Wonsik finally suggesting they all get on kakaotalk and work it out, they'd decided to go bowling and then meet back at Hakyeon's house for the night. Hakyeon drove Taekwoon and Sanghyuk to the bowling alley and they met up with Hongbin and Jaehwan who had driven over together. After brief hugs and Jaehwan playfully pinching Sanghyuk's cheek (much to Sanghyuk's obvious dismay), Taekwoon asked, "where's Wonsik?" As if by fate, Hakyeon's cell rang and the ID read "Wonsik".  
  
"Where are you?" Hakyeon asked in a slightly naggy voice. Wonsik had apparently gotten lost on the bus route over and although he was in the right city, he wasn't at the bowling alley as he was supposed to be. Once Hakyeon figured out where Wonsik was he said, "stay where you are" and hung up. He turned to the others and said, "okay I gotta go pick him up but you guys go in and reserve the lanes. This shouldn't take too long." With a wave, Hakyeon headed back to his car and the others made their way inside.  
  
By the time he'd found Wonsik and they'd gotten back to the bowling alley, the others were sliding around in their issued blue and yellow shows and seeing who could lift the heaviest ball. He and Wonsik quickly checked out their own shoes and met up in the lanes that the others had already chosen.  
  
"We put your names in the computer already," Jaehwan said with a cheeky grin as he rolled a ball around in the ball return.  
  
Hakyeon shared a look with Wonsik before he looked up at the names on the display and let out a snort. Jaehwan (and presumably the rest of them) had given everyone ridiculous nicknames like "Bean", "Leo", and "NNNNN". After some shuffling and arguing about which name belonged to who, the lanes were divided with Hakyeon, Taekwoon, and Wonsik being in one lane and Jaehwan, Hongbin, and Sanghyuk being in the other.  
  
"We're the cutie team," Jaehwan said in a high voice and he posed cutely as Hongbin hid his face and Sanghyuk shook his head as if to say  _I'm not doing that_.  
  
Hakyeon linked arms with both Taekwoon and Wonsik and said, "we'll crush you" even as both of them pulled their arms away.  
  
The game that followed ended with Hongbin throwing the ball backwards once, Wonsik slipping on the lane a few times, and Sanghyuk singlehandedly carrying his team to victory. (Save Sanghyuk, none of them could actually bowl to save their lives but you'd never hear any of them admit it.)  
  
Hakyeon and Taekwoon went back up to the snack counter at the front of the bowling alley and ordered lunch for everyone while Jaehwan and Hongbin skipped off to the arcade in the corner of the building. Sanghyuk volunteered to be the one to bring Jaehwan and Hongbin their food and ended up practically shoving a piece of pizza in Hongbin's face while he and Jaehwan (badly) attempted to beat the high score on a shooting game. Eventually Taekwoon and Wonsik traded places with them and they joined Sanghyuk and Hakyeon at the table.  
  
Hakyeon sipped at his drink as he idly watched Hongbin and Jaehwan feed each other fries (vaguely wondering what Taekwoon's reaction would be if he tried that) and listened to Sanghyuk talk about the latest chapter of some manga he was reading. When Taekwoon and Wonsik came back and seated themselves at the table there was a brief discussion about whether or not they should change teams ("no way!" Hongbin cut in. "I want to keep winning!" he'd said and flashed a smile at Sanghyuk)  and after deciding against it, they'd headed back down to the lanes.  
  
The second game went hardly any different than the first, although Hakyeon had pulled up the bumpers in their lanes even with Taekwoon's protests. They all agreed to meet back up at Hakyeon's house and, after giving Jaehwan the directions, they set off.  
  
-  
  
"Lee Jaehwan! What did you do?" came the enraged shout from the kitchen.  
  
"It was Sanghyuk's idea!" Jaehwan yelled back as he rushed out to the living room.  
  
Hakyeon had been making a cake in the kitchen ("because everyone likes cake right?") while Sanghyuk had been watching lazily off to the side until Hakyeon had left to get something from his room. Jaehwan had happened to walk into the kitchen just after Hakyeon had left and Sanghyuk, being the bored and devious kid he was, had slyly convinced Jaehwan to cause a bit of mischief with him. And so it was that they had found Hakyeon's phone on the counter and, in the span of a few minutes, managed to change just about everything there was so change on it, complete with the lock screen being the jovially smiling faces of Jaehwan and Sanghyuk. But Hakyeon seemed to have overlooked the fact that Jaehwan had had a mastermind accomplice.  
  
"Lee Jaehwan, where are you?" Hakyeon's voice carried throughout the small house.  
  
Jaehwan grabbed Hongbin's wrist on his race through the living room and pulled him out the back door as Hakyeon screeched from the other room. Jaehwan ducked into the bushes in the backyard and yanked a standing and confused Hongbin in with him. Hongbin stumbled and fell on top of Jaehwan, knees hitting the ground roughly. He shifted to sit down next to Jaehwan and brushed the dirt off his jeans. Jaehwan picked off an errant leaf and squeezed Hongbin's knee apologetically.  
  
"So what are we doing?" Hongbin asked with an amused look on his face.  
  
"We're hiding from the enemy," Jaehwan replied as he peeked in between the branches of the bushes.  
  
"Oh? And what did you do this time?"  
  
"Hey!" Jaehwan said in a hushed shout and he was met with Hongbin's knowing smirk. "Sanghyuk was the one behind all of this. Why am I the only one getting blamed?"  
  
"Because you're the one that likes to pull pranks," Hongbin said and smoothed a hand in Jaehwan's hair when the older boy fell against his shoulder.  
  
"Even you, Binnie?" he asked in a mock miserable voice. Hongbin could only chuckle. But then the wind picked up a bit and, even being sheltered by the bushes, it was still getting late on a cold January day and Hongbin shivered.  
  
In the apparently urgent rush, neither of them had grabbed the jackets that they'd discarded once they'd gotten inside so Jaehwan scooted closer and wrapped his arms around Hongbin. Hongbin leaned against him appreciatively and closed his eyes before he asked, "so what now?"  
  
"Now we wait until Hakyeon doesn't want to ring my neck," Jaehwan said as he rubbed his hands up and down Hongbin's goosebump covered arms. He probably should have thought this plan through a little more before he pulled them outside. Hongbin didn't complain though, just hooked his head underneath Jaehwan's chin and sighed lightly. His breath was warm against Jaehwan's throat.  
  
Jaehwan leaned his cheek against the top of Hongbin's head and began to sing softly and that's how Taekwoon found them, twenty minutes after Hakyeon's tirade through the house. Hongbin was shivering a little more as Taekwoon pushed apart the branches and stared at Jaehwan with an expression that said,  _well, are you coming?_  Jaehwan patted Hongbin's arm and the three of them made their way back inside to the welcoming warmth of the house.  
  
-  
  
The six of them were gathered around the television with a large assortment of unhealthy food and were watching terrible reality shows. The cake that Hakyeon had finished was on the coffee table in front of them just waiting to be cut into and Hakyeon had to keep batting Taekwoon's greedy fingers away from it.  
  
"Hey Hakyeon," Wonsik piped up during one of the commercial breaks. Hakyeon nodded his head and Wonsik continued, "where are your parents, by the way?"  
  
"Oh, they're on vacation," Hakyeon said. "They left two days after Christmas."  
  
"And they didn't take you with them? That sucks."  
  
"Nah," Hakyeon said, shaking his head. "It's not so bad. I'm not lonely or anything." He reached out and grabbed an unsuspecting Taekwoon who was sitting next to him. "I've got Taekwoonie and Hyukkie here," he said with a bright grin.  
  
Taekwoon pushed him off, eyes still trained on the television, and grabbed another cookie. On the other side of Taekwoon, Sanghyuk slowly and inconspicuously moved further away.  
  
It was some time after karaoke and before spontaneous ghost stories that, as they cut they cake, someone decided it would be a good idea to shove it in Hakyeon's face. He took revenge immediately, smearing a piece all over Sanghyuk's face and from there it was all out war. Hongbin ended up with icing covering most of his hair, Wonsik had wiped cake on Taekwoon's face and Taekwoon had responded by almost pushing Wonsik's face into the cake (although he had a smile on his face the whole time so everyone knew he wasn't really angry), and Jaehwan found that cake is not as good in your nose as it is in your mouth.  
  
When the cake was completely decimated, Hakyeon swiped some icing on Taekwoon's nose and settled back against the couch to catch his breath. There were crumbs and streaks of icing all over the living room but they'd deal with those later. He looked around and saw Wonsik and Sanghyuk comparing the states of their faces and, off on the other side of the room, Jaehwan pressed his lips to Hongbin's frosting covered cheeks and the two of them laughed as he came away more messy than before. Hakyeon laughed and settled against a complacent Taekwoon, smearing his cake covered face against Taekwoon's neck.  
  
It took them a while before the living room was properly cleaned but seeing as how that was where everyone was sleeping (and, after the cake fight, Hongbin came to his senses and fretted about the state of the room) they figured it would be better to clean it sooner rather than later. But after a round of trading lame ghost stories and watching a strangely fascinating late night documentary on how crayons are made, everyone felt just about ready to turn in for the night. Hakyeon pulled out heaps of blankets from the hallway closet and Taekwoon and Sanghyuk helped him gather just about every pillow they had in the house and they dumped everything into a big pile in the living room.  
Wonsik set up his own bed and was out like a light within minutes. Sanghyuk, who had just gone to wash his face came back and saw Wonsik, mouth already open and snoring, commented with a simple, "oh". Hakyeon walked into the bathroom and was pulling out his toothbrush when Taekwoon stepped in through the open door.  
  
"What's up?" Hakyeon asked through a mouthful of toothpaste. Taekwoon knew his way around the house so Hakyeon couldn't imagine anything that he could need, especially since Taekwoon would normally be the one competing with Wonsik to see who could fall asleep the fastest. Taekwoon looked down and shuffled his feet before he started and Hakyeon knew he had a question that he didn't really know how to ask.  
  
"Has...Jaehwan said anything to you before?" Taekwoon asked in his soft voice.  
  
"About what?" Hakyeon mumbled around his toothbrush.  
  
"Him and Hongbin." Taekwoon said, looking at Hakyeon.  
  
"No?" Hakyeon spit and rinsed out his mouth before he turned around to face Taekwoon. "What about him and Hongbin?"  
  
Taekwoon's eyes darted to the side and he shuffled his feet again. "I think they're dating," he said directly.  
  
"What?" Hakyeon wanted to laugh.  _There's no way they could be dating without me noticing_ , he thought. "Why do you think that?"  
  
Taekwoon stared at Hakyeon like he was stupid for a moment before he said, "you saw them today, with the cake."  
Hakyeon nodded, not following until he remembered Jaehwan kissing Hongbin's cheek. "But that's...because they're friends, right?" he asked, confused.  
  
"I found them in the bushes together today," Taekwoon said as he stared again and Hakyeon began to remember other times where they'd seemed almost impossibly close, maybe closer than even friends who had known each other for years would be and he started to wonder.  
  
"You," Hakyeon paused. "You might be right." Hakyeon's brow wrinkled; if Taekwoon was asking him then that meant that Jaehwan had never told him about it - and it also meant that he'd never told Hakyeon either.  
  
"Are they keeping it a secret?" he asked and Taekwoon shrugged.  
  
Deciding to deal with it another day, Hakyeon went back out to the living room where everyone else had already set up their beds and were already settled down for the night. He stood, blanket in hand, and looked out at where Hongbin and Jaehwan's beds were made up side by side. The two of them were on their sides, facing each other, and their heads were bowed close together. Looking at them, Hakyeon couldn't believe he'd never seen it before.  
  
Hakyeon picked up one of the pillows and made his own bed in an empty space on the floor. Taekwoon walked down the hallway and into the living room shortly after Hakyeon had settled down and switched off the lights before he grabbed the remaining blanket and pillow and made his bed in the spot next to Hakyeon's. Before Hakyeon nodded off, he felt Taekwoon reach out and pat his back comfortingly.  
  
  
  
-  
  
  
  
Hongbin had been coming back from the kitchen when he heard Jaehwan speaking to an empty room. Jaehwan had the video camera out in front of him and was steadying it with his hands as he talked about how they had all gone out for karaoke the night before. When Hongbin climbed on the bed, it dipped and jostled the camera nestled in the sheets. He made sure to keep his head out of the shot as he sat down on Jaehwan's back.  
  
Jaehwan groaned and made noises as he asked, "ah, who's this on my back?"  
  
Hongbin shifted and moved to lay down on his stomach, settling himself in comfortably, half on top of Jaehwan, and looked at the screen of the camera. He gave a little wave and then curled one hand around the top of Jaehwan's bicep. As Jaehwan kept talking, Hongbin rested his head in the crook of Jaehwan's shoulder, his other arm looped around Jaehwan's neck. For several minutes, Jaehwan told another story and Hongbin occasionally butted in to comment while he sleepily listened and his fingers played gently against Jaehwan's skin. Soon though, their dialogue dissolved into the two of them making faces at each other and the camera; Jaehwan's expressions became more and more ridiculous and Hongbin couldn't keep up because he had fallen into a fit of laughter.  
  
"Oh," Hongbin said, sitting up. "Let me interview you." He grabbed the camera and sat in front of Jaehwan.  
  
"About what?" Jaehwan asked. He was still laying down and had his face buried in the sheets.  
  
"About..." The camera shook slightly in Hongbin's hand as he looked around in thought. "About your plans for the weekend."  
  
Jaehwan look up. "My plans?" At Hongbin's nod Jaehwan switched into his "kindergartner voice" and said, "I'm going to the park with Binnie. We're gonna lay in the grass and eat ice cream."  
  
"Ice cream?" Hongbin asked with a smile. Jaehwan tilted his head and flashed a peace sign. "And then what?"  
  
Beginning again in his normal voice Jaehwan said, "and then...it's a secret!"  
  
"Yah!" Hongbin said with a laugh. He threw a pillow at Jaehwan, almost dropping the camera before he righted it. "Come on, tell me."  
  
Jaehwan looked forward thoughtfully as he pretended to ponder Hongbin's request and then started again.  
  
"Then we're going to go to the bookstore and read comics for three hours."  
  
Hongbin stifled a laugh and motioned for Jaehwan to keep going. Jaehwan stared past the camera, looking Hongbin in the eye and continued seriously, "you're going to want to leave first so then we'll go over to your favorite restaurant for dinner." Hongbin could feel his heart start to beat faster but Jaehwan kept his eyes locked on Hongbin's the whole time.  
  
"We'll eat dinner and then I'll ask you if you want dessert and you'll lie and say no but you'll pick out a cake and we'll eat it together." They were sitting close enough that Jaehwan reached out and Hongbin took his hand and Jaehwan kept looking at him as his thumb brushed over the tops of Hongbin's fingers.  By now, the camera was all but forgotten in Hongbin's other hand, but the lens was still trained on Jaehwan as he kept talking. "We'll walk back through the park on the way home because we didn't feel like driving anywhere and I'll sing to you all the way home."  
  
At his words, Hongbin felt like his face was going to split from how wide his smile had grown but Jaehwan still had a little more to say.  "And then we'll get to your house and we'll sit on the porch and talk until you get cold."  
  
"And then what?" Hongbin asked, his voice soft and curious.  
  
Jaehwan's answer came in the form of him leaning past the camera and chastely pressing his lips to Hongbin's and then nudging forward to push his forehead against Hongbin's briefly before he pulled back. This time he looked at the camera when he flashed a cute smile and said, "and then Jaehwannie goes home."  
  
Hongbin scooted over to sit next to Jaehwan's side and turned the camera around so it was focused on them again.  
"I think that's about all we have for you guys, right?" Hongbin looked at Jaehwan who just leaned in and laid his head against Hongbin's shoulder. Hongbin smiled again and said, "I hope everyone has a nice weekend!"  
  
He waved at the camera and Jaehwan winked as he did an overly cute "bbuing bbuing". Hongbin switched off the camera, setting it on Jaehwan's bedside table before he tackled a smiling Jaehwan, hands pushing lightly at the other boy's chest as peals of laughter bubbled forth from both of them.  
  
  
  
-  
  
  
  
It was a few minutes after Hongbin had left to get his laundry that his phone started vibrating. Wonsik let it buzz for a couple seconds before he decided to go see the ID so that he could let Hongbin know who called while he'd been out. The phone was on Hongbin's bed next to his computer so Wonsik pushed out of his chair and leaned over the side of the bed, seeing "mom" on the screen before something on Hongbin's computer screen caught his eyes. It was a loading bar for a video upload Wonsik realized as he looked at a thumbnail of Jaehwan and Hongbin side by side and smiling widely. He glanced up at the top of the page to find the channel name, "ko-ng", and shrugged, deciding to check it out.  
  
Hongbin and Jaehwan had mentioned their YouTube channel before, sometimes including the rest of them in their videos but, as far as Wonsik knew, none of them had seen any of the videos. He shrugged and headed back to his computer, pulled up a new tab, and searched for their channel but quickly switched tabs when he heard a key unlocking the door. Hongbin nudged the door open, easily carrying the basket of laundry and dropped it on the floor next to his bed, settling back down in front of his computer. A minute later Wonsik remembered the missed call and said, "you missed a call from your mom."  
  
Hongbin looked down at his phone, "oh, I did," he said as he checked his notifications. "Thanks."  
  
Wonsik nodded and turned back to his own computer.  
  
It wasn't until two days later that he remembered Hongbin and Jaehwan's channel. Figuring that since Hongbin was in class, the other boy wouldn't walk in like he did last time. Truthfully, Wonsik felt a little weird, like he was snooping, but it's not that the videos they made were secret, only that he hadn't asked to see them yet. With that reasoning in mind, Wonsik clicked on a video that was half way down the page. He watched as Jaehwan (and Hongbin, behind the camera) played around at the store, Jaehwan hopping into shopping carts and pretending to be a child as Hongbin playfully abandoned him.  
  
Wonsik stopped the video half way through and clicked on another video that was farther down. The date on this one was much older and as it started playing, Wonsik let out a surprised bark of laughter at Hongbin's long, fluffy hair. Jaehwan, wearing the glasses he hardly ever wore in front of them, was reviewing a movie and Hongbin was acting as an interviewer, cutting in and asking him questions about it.  Wonsik stopped this video too and scrolled back up to the top of the page, clicking on the most recent video that must have been the one that Hongbin had just uploaded the other day.  
  
Unlike the others that he'd watched, this video started off with Jaehwan on his own. He was talking about going out to karaoke with all of them when someone came into the room and the camera shook as the person sat on his back. It was Hongbin, and Wonsik smiled as he watched the two of them forget their story telling and begin to make faces at the camera. Then, just as Wonsik was about to close out of the video, Hongbin picked up the camera and started asking Jaehwan questions and the atmosphere changed; Wonsik suddenly felt like he was intruding.  
  
Jaehwan was telling Hongbin what they would do over the weekend as he stared just left of the camera and Wonsik had the strange impression that he was describing a date between the two of them. And then Jaehwan leaned past the camera and Wonsik heard the soft, telltale sound of a kiss and froze. He stared dazedly at the screen as Hongbin and Jaehwan waved and the video ended.  
  
Jaehwan and Hongbin? When had that happened? His mind was foggy and he almost wanted to search through every video to see if it was actually true or if he misread the situation. Wonsik thought back through the past few months and felt like he was seeing all of their interaction with each other in a new light. Why hadn't they said anything? Wonsik felt a pang of sadness at the thought that Hongbin hadn't felt comfortable enough to tell him. Granted, they hadn't known each other that long, less than a year even, but despite all their differences  
they got along like they'd known each other since childhood and Hongbin was something of a best friend to him now.  
  
Wonsik closed his laptop and as he left for class he resolved to talk to Hakyeon about this to see if he was the only one left in the dark.  
  
-  
  
"So what's going on?" Hakyeon asked as he reached Wonsik's table. He set down his iced tea and took a seat in front of a slightly troubled looking Wonsik.  
  
"I have to ask you something." Wonsik said nervously and then he fell silent.  
  
"Okay," Hakyeon raised an eyebrow. "Is it something bad?"  
  
"No?"  
  
"Okay, you don't sound so sure," Hakyeon replied, voice becoming serious. Wonsik was kind of squirming around restlessly in his seat - he was normally pretty self-confident and he knew that Hakyeon found this behavior strange.  
  
Wonsik finally spoke up and asked, "have you noticed anything about Jaehwan and Hongbin?"  
  
"Anything like what?" Hakyeon was clearly not following Wonsik and his face showed his concern.  
  
"Anything like," Wonsik's voice dropped into a whisper and Hakyeon leaned forward. "Anything like them dating?"  
  
Hakyeon blinked, sat back, and blinked again. Wonsik shifted nervously as he waited.  
  
"Yeah, months ago," he said before he took a sip of his ice tea. Wonsik was flabbergasted, eyes wide, and his mouth fell open before Hakyeon's straw fell from his lips. "Wait, you mean you never noticed?"  
  
At Wonsik's slow shake of the head, Hakyeon placed his drink down heavily, spread palms landing on the table top. He leaned forward conspiratorially, looking at Wonsik insistently until the other boy leaned forward too.  
  
"They've been dating for months," Hakyeon said in a stage whisper.  
  
"Really?" Wonsik frowned. He couldn't believe that they'd been together that long and no one had told him, that he hadn't  _seen_  it. "When did you notice?"  
  
Hakyeon sat back a little embarrassed. "Well, Taekwoonie actually pointed it out to me a while ago but I'd have figured it out by now anyway."  
  
"Uh huh." Wonsik looked utterly unimpressed.  
  
"And besides," Hakyeon said, trying to fluff himself up. "Hyukkie basically pointed it out to him too."  
  
"Really?" Wonsik voice got loud and he looked around the cafe quickly before he lowered his voice and asked again.  
  
"That's what Taekwoonie said," Hakyeon shrugged. His drink was halfway to his mouth before he asked, "wait - you're okay with them, right?"  
  
Wonsik started, looking completely taken aback. "Of course!" He he said, startled. "Why wouldn't I be?"  
  
His voice became a little gruff and Hakyeon lifted a hand in placation, "I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to make sure."  
  
Wonsik still had a put out look on his face so Hakyeon reached forward and patted his arm.  
  
"Really," he said looking at Wonsik. "I didn't think you had a problem, I just wanted to make absolutely sure."  
  
Wonsik jerked his head in understanding and stared at the table with a concentrated look. Everything was getting too serious for such a light topic so was glad when Hakyeon switched gears and said, "but hey, now we can poke fun at them right?"  
  
Wonsik looked up at him with a grin and figured things with Hakyeon were all right.  
  
  
  
-  
  
  
  
When Wonsik and Hongbin arrived at Hakyeon and Taekwoon's apartment, Hakyeon opened the door and unceremoniously announced that they had no food. Wonsik pushed his way inside and slipped off his jacket as he asked, "why did you invite everyone over if you had no food?"  
  
"We were waiting for you guys to get here so we could make you get it," Hakyeon replied matter-of-factly.  
  
"Um..." Hongbin stood awkwardly in the doorway, confused as to whether or not he was supposed to leave to get food.  
  
Taekwoon appeared from the hallway and lightly pushed him over to the couch, so Hongbin figured that was that. He settled down next to Jaehwan who had his DS out and gave him a small smile. Twenty minutes later, however, Hakyeon and Wonsik had formed an unbearable tag team, whining incessantly about how hungry they were, and Hongbin stood up to announce that he was going to buy snacks. Taekwoon gave him a look of deep thanks (Hongbin was sure he had to put up with this on a weekly basis) and Jaehwan immediately volunteered to go with him. Hongbin opened up the door, stared outside, then closed the door and turned around.  
  
"Do you have an umbrella we could borrow?"  
  
At some point since they'd gotten to the apartment, the sky had opened up and released a flood from the clouds that seemed insistent on continuing. Despite the rain, the air wasn't very cold outside so Hongbin and Jaehwan huddled together underneath an umbrella, devoid of jackets, and tried to keep themselves from getting wet. Even with hardly any space to hold it, Hongbin's camera was ever present and he had it turned towards their faces as they walked jerkily to the convenience store two blocks away from the apartment. Together, they held a running commentary as they made their way in the rain until finally they arrived at the store.  
  
"What did we come here to buy?" Hongbin asked as they walked through the aisles. He could feel that the back of his shirt was damp and the water at bottom of his jeans was slowly but insistently making its way up the denim.  
  
"Ramen," Jaehwan said with a cheeky smile as he adjusted his glasses. Hongbin was glad to see him wearing them outside of class - usually he just wore contacts instead because glasses made him look "too dorky".  _"You're already dorky," Hongbin had said with a laugh as he had pushed at Jaehwan's shoulder. Jaehwan had scooted closer and pressed himself against Hongbin's side. "Yeah, but I don't want everyone to know that just by looking," he had said as he'd made a silly face._  (Hongbin secretly thought the glasses were actually really cute, but he didn't want to give Jaehwan any more ammo.)  
  
Hongbin bought the ramen and found Jaehwan outside the store looking at a drink vending machine. Jaehwan said "let's go" and sneakily walked off alone with the umbrella.  
  
"Ah, wait!" Hongbin called. Jaehwan, still off standing in the rain with their only umbrella, said, "do something cute for me or I'll leave!"  
  
"Cute?"  
  
"You have to film it!"  
  
Acting cute was not Hongbin's strong suit - that was much more Jaehwan's area of expertise - but he put his hand up next to his face and did a peace sign. Jaehwan walking forward and cooing was almost as much of a reward as shelter from the rain was (though not by much - it was really pouring) and they started making their way back to the apartment. Since the rain had picked up more, the two of them made kissy faces at the camera and then Hongbin stored it safely in the bag of ramen. After they finished recording, they walked back more slowly, the bag gently bumping against Hongbin's leg as Jaehwan kept a tight hold on the umbrella. The rain was still going strong and with the wind picking up it gave Hongbin the chills.  
  
He looped his free arm through Jaehwan's arm, the one that was holding the umbrella, and pressed a chaste kiss into his cheek. Jaehwan brought his other hand over and placed it on top of Hongbin's, rubbing his thumb lightly back and forth in a small effort to warm him up. It made walking a little harder, a little more uneven, but Hongbin tightened his arm around Jaehwan's and leaned his head against Hongbin's shoulder. They were both too close to the same height for it to really work properly but there was no longer rain splashing against his  
shoulder and Jaehwan was warm.  
  
They were almost back at the apartment, about half a block away, when Jaehwan broke their pleasant, almost sleepy silence by saying, "come here" as he pulled Hongbin further up the sidewalk and out of the glowing reach of the street lamps. Hongbin looked at him, shadowed by the umbrella, and felt his heart race. It was hard for them to find time alone sometimes, with all their homework and the fact that neither of them really had a room to themselves. Most of the time it was okay though, because Hongbin still got to see Jaehwan all the time, but every once in a while he wanted to steal the older boy away for himself and hide the two of them away together.  
  
As he stared at Jaehwan he realized that the last time they'd really been alone together was when Jaehwan had hidden both of them in the bushes at Hakyeon's house, and even then they'd had to come out after only a few minutes. It looked like these were a few more of their stolen moments, Hongbin thought, and Jaehwan tilted his head up a little and pressed his lips to Hongbin's. They were a little cold and just  
shy of chapped but Hongbin smiled against them all the same.  
  
(Needless to say, it took them a little longer than expected to return.)  
  
  
  
-  
  
  
  
Jaehwan looked up when Hongbin walked into back into the room and whistled. They were going to a nice art gallery as a requirement for one of Hongbin's classes and Hongbin had wanted to dress the part. The two of them wore twin, black blazers and thin cotton shirts and, in the warming May weather, it was just enough.  
  
"Don't you look handsome?" Jaehwan said as he scanned Hongbin's appearance.  
  
Hongbin's face twisted like he was trying to hold back a smile and said, "you don't look so bad yourself."  
  
Jaehwan grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles before he said, "get over here, we're gonna make a video."  
  
Jaehwan pulled Wonsik's chair up next to Hongbin's and they set the camera on top of Hongbin's desk. When Jaehwan turned the camera on they waved and smiled and, although they intended to talk about what they were going to do for the day, they ended up mostly making jokes and pretending to fall asleep instead.  
  
On their way over to the gallery, Jaehwan grabbed Hongbin's hand and swung their arms in a half arc to get his attention before he said, "so what do you say we round out this fancy day by going to the cafe tonight?"  
  
Hongbin pursed his lips in thought for a moment before he nodded, "that sounds nice."  
  
The gallery had an exhibition on some foreign artists' fine art and neither Jaehwan or Hongbin understood the intention behind it at all. They spent the entirety of their time there standing in front of the pieces with their hands to their chins as they pretended to thoughtfully and intelligently consider the work. Whoever could come up with the most outlandish explanation with a straight face was the winner; Jaehwan, who caused Hongbin to double over in laughter no less than five times, was the winner. After one too many strange stares from the other gallery goers, the two of them ducked out of the gallery and made their way back onto campus. It was Hongbin who was attacked with a flying hug by one Cha Hakyeon just outside Jaehwan's building.  
  
"Hey guys," Hakyeon said from his precarious place on Hongbin's back. Taekwoon nodded his head at them in greeting. "What are you two up to today?"  
  
"Not much," Hongbin wheezed a little, still a bit winded from Hakyeon's sudden barrage.  
  
"Oh! You guys look nice," Hakyeon cooed approvingly.  
  
Hongbin straightened out his blazer and smiled, dimples on full display and eyes crinkling, "we went to an art gallery today."  
  
"Yeah? Any plans for the rest of the night?"  
  
"We're gonna go over to that French cafe across the street," Jaehwan said, bumping his shoulder against Hongbin's.  
  
At that, Taekwoon looked up from his ipod and asked, "can I come?"  
  
Hakyeon stared at him like he'd grown a second head but Jaehwan's mouth opened in understanding.  _Coffee_ , he thought before he turned to Hongbin and asked with his eyes if Hongbin was okay with that. At Hongbin's nod, Jaehwan turned back to Taekwoon and said, "sure. You want to come too, Hakyeon?"  
  
Hakyeon latched himself onto Taekwoon's arm and said, "yeah. Taekwoon's been trying to get me to try an Americano for ages now."  
Hongbin pulled out his phone and with a mock exasperated sigh he said, "I'll text Wonsik too because otherwise he'll complain about not being invited."  
  
"Ah," Hakyeon said with a bright voice. "Sanghyukkie is done with school already so he's coming down to visit tonight. I'll bring him too," he said happily, already at work on his phone.  
  
Later that night, well past when it had gotten dark, Hongbin pulled out his camera in the dimly lit cafe and turned it towards him and Jaehwan.  
  
"Oh," Jaehwan said in surprise. "It comes out really nicely here."  
  
"Let's film it sexily," Hongbin said with an impish smirk. "Like this." He pulled at the collar of his shirt and Jaehwan matched his mood, eyes going half lidded. Hongbin broke away first, laughing and then leaned back against Jaehwan, heads pressed together.  
  
"Together with Binnie," Jaehwan started before he cut off as Hongbin bit his shoulder. "An eight o'clock date."  
  
"It's eight already?" Hongbin asked leaning back into Jaehwan.  
  
As per usual when they were in front of a camera together, they began to make weird faces, cheeks puffed out and eyes wide. Jaehwan began filming on his own, running commentary flowing from his mouth as he filmed the others and Hongbin wrapped an arm around the shoulders of a sleepy Sanghyuk. He put away the camera when Wonsik came back with all their drinks and sipped at his own happily. Taekwoon, the first to have grabbed his drink, looked considerably happier than he had five minutes prior. Sanghyuk grabbed his drink and collapsed back against the booth heavily, eyes closed as he held the straw in his mouth.  
  
"Ooh, our Sanghyukkie is so tired," Hakyeon said around his straw.  
  
"I've never been happier to be done with school," Sanghyuk said groggily.  
  
"It's not fair that you finished before us," Jaehwan said and Hongbin nodded in clear agreement, not that Sanghyuk could see it.  
  
"Yeah, but I have to go back for graduation at the end of the month."  
  
"We should toast Sanghyuk's graduation," Wonsik said and held up his ice cream cup.  
  
Everyone held up their drinks and congratulated Sanghyuk on his graduation. Hongbin picked up the camera and filmed idly as he drank his smoothie, everyone's chatter blending together as the background noise. Jaehwan leaned against Hongbin as he sipped as his drink and played lightly with the hem of Hongbin's shirt. By then, they'd sort of forgotten that they hadn't told the others about them, even Hongbin who usually liked to be so careful. It was so normal for them to always be close, to be hanging off of each other and laughing and joking in their own little world, that they forgot that they'd never actually told their friends that they were together.  
  
Jaehwan smoothed his hand across Hongbin's shirt and patted him lightly on the thigh. He felt a little sleepy so he drummed his fingers in a beat on Hongbin's leg, eyes closed and face buried in Hongbin's neck. The air in the cafe had been warm so Hongbin and Jaehwan had ditched their blazers early on and even now, Jaehwan still felt blanketed in the heavy smell of coffee and pastries. It took him a moment to realize that Hongbin was saying his name and he looked up, camera right in front of his face and Hongbin's eyes on him. He blinked, a little drowsy because he must have nodded off a bit, and smiled at Hongbin, "yeah?"  
  
"You tired?" Hongbin asked, one hand coming up to feel Jaehwan's cheek.  
  
Jaehwan tilted his head into Hongbin's hand and said, "yeah, a little."  
  
By now, the camera was all but forgotten in Hongbin's other hand, lens still trained on Jaehwan's face, and their friends around them had faded into the background. Jaehwan covered Hongbin's hand with his own and gave a small smile. Seeing that everything was okay, Hongbin leaned over and pressed a quick, gentle kiss to the top of Jaehwan's head before he shut off the camera and laid it down on the seat next to him. Jaehwan smiled at him more widely and patter his thigh again, getting up from the booth.  
  
"I'm gonna get a coffee," he said as he stretched.  
  
The cafe was mostly empty, save for their group and another couple, so when Jaehwan leaned against the counter after giving his order, he could hear the others clearly as they spoke. Sanghyuk blinked sleepily as Wonsik's loud laughter roused him and he glanced around the table, still looking half asleep.  
  
He turned to Hongbin and shook his head a little, before he asked, voice just this side of scratchy, "where's your boyfriend?"  
  
Hongbin, who had been listening attentively to a story Hakyeon was telling, hardly even registered the question and didn't wait a beat before he answered, "he's getting a coffee."  
  
Then Hongbin froze as he realized what Sanghyuk had asked and how he'd answered and his eyes locked with Jaehwan's across the cafe as their friends' conversation died out around them.  Jaehwan gripped the edge of the counter, knowing how much the idea of their friends rejecting them scared Hongbin, and waited nervously to see what would happen.  
  
"Oh," Sanghyuk said and looked up to the counter. "Jaehwan, get me one too," he called out and Hakyeon started his story again.  Jaehwan let out a breath and could see the clear relief in Hongbin's eyes even from the counter. He quickly ordered Sanghyuk's drink, picked up his own, and headed back to the table. On his way over to his seat, Taekwoon patted him on the back and flashed him a quiet smile. Jaehwan returned an even brighter one and sat down next to Hongbin.  
  
No one looked at them weirdly, no one looked uncomfortable, everything was just as it normally was. But this time, Jaehwan felt confident when he reached over and grabbed Hongbin's hand and held it in his own. Hakyeon's eyes caught the movement and he grinned, "about time you told us."  
  
Hongbin's face twisted, caught in between happiness and confusion. "What do you mean?"  
  
"We've all known for a while," Wonsik said good naturedly. "It's not like we're blind or anything."  
  
Taekwoon hit his shoulder and, caught in the good atmosphere and a sense of newfound freedom, Jaehwan's laughter caused the others to break out into a laugh. Around him, his friends were joking and playing around and next to him, his boyfriend was warm and happy and smiling. Jaehwan squeezed his hand and Hongbin squeezed back and laid his head on Jaehwan's shoulder, no longer scared to hide their  
(admittedly ill concealed) relationship.  
  
Jaehwan brought their hands up to his lips and kissed the back of Hongbin's hand, trying and failing to hide his smile.


End file.
